8 Common Tech Myths You Should Stop Believing Today

Saturday

Aug 9, 2014 at 3:25 PM

Lisa Eadicicco

Is it bad to charge your phone overnight? What about charging an iPhone with an iPad adapter?

Despite how often we use devices like smartphones and laptops, we have plenty of questions about how those technologies works. And with so much information out there ó not all of it true ó it's hard to know if we're treating our electronics properly.

We've dug into some of the most common myths in consumer tech to debunk some of the biggest misconceptions out there.

Mac computers canít get viruses

Yes, Apple computers are susceptible to malware too. Apple used to brag its computers aren't vulnerable to PC viruses, but the company quickly changed its marketing page after a Trojan affected thousands of Mac computers in 2012.

Private/Incognito browsing keeps you anonymous

There’s a misconception that “incognito” and “private” are synonymous with anonymous. If you’re using Incognito Mode in Google Chrome or Private browsing in Safari, it simply means the browser won’t keep track of your history, import your bookmarks, or automatically log into any of your accounts. It won’t keep your identity anonymous — so keep that in mind if you’re visiting sites you shouldn’t be.

Leaving your phone plugged in destroys the battery

If you’re like most people, you probably leave your phone plugged in overnight long after the battery is fully charged. Some used to say this would hurt your phone's battery life, but in fact, there's no proof that this damages your phone’s battery in any way. Modern smartphones run on lithium-ion batteries, which are smart enough to stop charging when they’ve reached capacity.

More megapixels always means a better camera

What’s the difference between 12 megapixels cameras and 8 megapixel cameras? Not much, as it turns out. The quality of an image is determined by how much light the sensor is able to take in. Typically, bigger sensors come with larger pixels, and the larger the pixel the more light it can absorb. So, it’s really the size of the megapixels that matter more than the sheer number of megapixels.

Here’s how TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino, who also happens to be a professional photographer, describes the role of the megapixel: “Think of this as holding a thimble in a rain storm to try to catch water. The bigger your thimble, the easier it is to catch more drops in a shorter amount of time." The thimble is a metaphor for a megapixel — using a few buckets would be much more efficient than a bunch of thimbles for catching water.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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